Reconstruction and extension of the terrace of the assisted living facility

Artistic collaboration: M. A. Marek Pražák
Co-author of the garden: Ing. Petr Ondruška

The building has received the following awards:
Honorable mention for the Facade of the Moravian-Silesian Region 2007 in the category "C" Residential Buildings
Honorable mention from the Statutory City of Ostrava in the competition for the title HOUSE OF THE YEAR 2007

Assignment

The house with care services provides basic standard services for seniors, but it does not meet modern requirements for a joyful and active old age. The aim is to transform the existing complex into a modern facility that will fulfill the requirements of seniors living in this facility in all respects.

Starting condition

The area of the sheltered housing is currently comprised of a complex of three buildings: two five-story residential blocks are connected by linking necks to a two-story entrance building housing technical facilities and services. The buildings are made of brick, with the outer shell made of CDm bricks with a thickness of 375mm, and the ceilings consist of precast concrete panels.
The internal layout and even more the overall atmosphere of the environment is given by the time of construction and bears the imprint of that era: long, narrow, dark hallways without decoration and energy. Surfaces worn both morally and physically. Cramped bathrooms. Underutilized, slightly neglected garden. A sad facade of the building. An environment not motivating for activity. The overall atmosphere is institutional, evoking passivity and resignation, rather than an active approach to life.
In the building, there is – to put it exaggeratedly – gloom and shadow. Gloom in the house – shadow in the mind!

Concept of the proposal

The house with care services managed by the municipality cannot be an equal partner to "retirement homes," as it is primarily designated for clients requiring varying degrees of care, assistance, and support, including health and caregiving services. However, we believe that residents of the sheltered housing can spend their time in an environment that creates conditions for a dignified, fulfilling, and active life.
After all, it is not primarily about luxury, but about changing the character of the place, about changing its spirit. Therefore, we want to transform the "institutional" character of the sheltered housing and help create a residential building for seniors, where, in addition to quality housing, certain social services will be provided.
We propose to revive light in all its meanings and to proceed from the following principles:

• Light into the building (interiors)
• Light on the building (exteriors, facades)
• Live plants and greenery as part of "therapy"
• Garden as a conversation and space for thoughts
• Active old age = healthy old age
• Light in the house – light in the mind!

Architectural solution

We propose to brighten the interiors of the residential part of the long, narrow, dark hallways without decoration and energy predominantly with daylight.
The complex contains 52 one-bedroom apartments, 49 two-bedroom apartments, and 4 rooms with emergency beds. We propose modifications to the layouts of the bathrooms and kitchens. For the two-bedroom apartments, the design allows for the kitchen to be configured in 2 variants. In each apartment, a "mini-garden" will be created: a new window, after the insulation of the facade, will be moved to the outer face of the outer wall, thus creating a deep windowsill that forms a mini-garden. This will create a space for live plants within the interior.

Exteriors, facades

We propose a light color composition for the facades.
The use of 5 symbolic colors:

• Green - earth
• Red - fire
• Blue - water
• Yellow - air
• White background - space

At the stairway to the individual service lodges, we will remove the horizontal sections of masonry. For optical shading, we propose sun blinds set to a position that allows maximum light while preventing views from the ground floor.

Garden terrace with flowers

We propose to create a relaxation area – a large floral terrace, situated in a place with ideal sunlight and views.
The side walls of the terrace are designed as flat construction structures with circular perforations, which lighten the entire structure and allow daylight to illuminate it. In the open rectangular layout of the terrace, steel columns support the horizontal structures of the terrace, i.e., the floor and ceiling slab, which also have openings for the entry of daylight. The flower terrace is designed as an open tube, lifted approximately 1 m above the terrain.
The terrace aligns in height with the level of the entrance floor. The elegant clean form seems to hover above the garden. An intense experience of the interplay of light and shadows, the rhythmic alternation of colorful columns, and the scent of the garden including solitary plants at the terrace level (arcades) arises. This thus creates a partially covered space in fresh air with a view into the garden. Thanks to the glazing of the circular openings in the ceiling slab, the space is usable in any weather.
An arcade allows one to descend via stairs for a walk in the garden. A ramp providing access to the space for people with limited mobility and orientation is also included. The entrance area will be optically connected to the garden.

Garden

The garden, covering an area of 1600 m², is significantly overgrown and filled with trees and shrubs. Most of the woody plants consist of tall trees (linden, maple, birch, spruce) that now reach a height of approximately 12 – 15 m. The shrub layer is overgrown (composed mainly of dogwood and hawthorn), and the lawns are uneven and suffer from a lack of light. The goal is to create a pleasant and interesting, yet simultaneously clear space for year-round stay. For this reason, the garden is composed primarily as a plastic picture for views from the windows and the terrace and simultaneously provides interesting views and details within the garden.

Basic compositional principles for the garden modifications:

• Garden as a conversation and space for thoughts
• Path as an architectural partner to the lawn and as a construction detail
• Lawn as an extension of the floor and carpet in the interior
• Plants as an architectural detail and compositional accent
• Garden benches as an architectural object and as a place for observation and silence

Paths form the basic compositional network and simultaneously allow safe and logical movement throughout the area. The simplest shapes of rectangle and circle are used, which intersect each other. This supports the idea of calm, slow walking "around" the garden and also allows the possibility of the shortest direct connection.
Rectangle has its vertices at the points of the most concentrated interest (the entrance stairs to the garden, the entrance area at the ramp). Opposite vertices form compositional dominants - garden benches with a significant plant solitaire (e.g., columnar yew with a golden tint of needles) and a resting place with benches and paving and a stone drinking fountain for birds. The circle again extends from the entrance stairs but outlines the lawn area and allows for walking around the garden.